The Best Peruvian Restaurants In Miami

Maty’s makes Peruvian dishes adapted from the chef’s family recipes—the same family whose photos line the simple white walls of the spacious Midtown restaurant. The menu changes all the time, but you can usually find a couple ceviche options (order them all). But the big protein dishes are where Maty’s really goes all out. The one non-negotiable plate from that section of the menu is the whole roasted dorade, an unbelievably tender fish served butterflied so it looks like it’s been flattened by a steamroller. The oxtail saltado is another unbelievably good option. Most dishes are meant to be shared, and they have tables great for big groups. So keep Maty’s on your shortlist for a fun dinner with friends. 

Miami has plenty of tasting menus and omakase options, but Itamae AO (which shares a space with its sister restaurant Maty’s) is unlike any of them. Most of the eight courses look something like this: a delicate piece of seafood is accentuated by a sauce or leche de tigre that consists of several words you didn’t see coming. The highlights of the meal are usually some sort of riff on a tiradito that might be spicy, tart, and sweet all at once. We’ve only come close to experiencing food like this at the previous version of Itamae, a Design District restaurant that set Miami’s standard of ceviche unrealistically high. The reasons to visit this version of Itamae are mostly the same: because no one else makes food like this. 

The next time an unprompted craving for citrusy fish and giant mussels pops into your head, go here. Barra Callao is a small ceviche counter in North Miami Beach that makes excellent causas, ceviches, and choros. Since the place is exclusively counter seating, everyone gets a view of the chef assembling beautiful dishes with the kind of finesse you see from a figure skater mid axel jump. Even though that chef prepares food quickly, he’s doing it alone. So when this place gets packed, be prepared to hang around for a while and enjoy the salsa music playing on the TV. Barra Callao is casual enough to show up in sweatpants, but the food is plated so elegantly, it makes us feel like we could come here in a tux and it wouldn’t be that weird.

It’s pretty incredible what Atomica is doing with a kitchen as big as a Manhattan studio closet. The Peruvian vendor inside MIA Market is serving the kind of dishes we usually expect from an upscale, impossible-to-reserve restaurant: tender lamb neck, ceviche with sunchoke-infused leche de tigre, and short rib empanadas that we’re officially declaring a national treasure. It’s a great luxurious lunch, but if you only have time for something quick, you should still pop in for that empanada. It’s encased in a dough that almost tastes like shortbread and is the greatest Peruvian-style empanada we’ve found in Miami.

Platea is a Peruvian steakhouse, which means you can share a delicious ceviche or tostones topped with wagyu picanha saltado before cutting into a perfectly cooked ribeye. It ticks all the right steakhouse boxes with attentive service, a big selection of prime cuts, plenty of sides, and a very big wine list. But it’s not pretentious. It’s perfect for a nice date, a family night out, or dinner with a group of friends. But the best day to go is Tuesday, when a $180 64oz tomahawk steak is marked down to $150—and comes with a salad, one side, and dessert. The steak is perfect for two people, and in case you forgot what kind of steakhouse this is, it’s plated on top of aji amarillo sauce.

La Mar is on the mysterious millionaire island known as Brickell Key. Their waterfront view is also pretty stellar—so good that it's almost not even worth coming here unless you can sit outside. And fittingly, most of the menu revolves around seafood. They have a whole bunch of ceviche and tiradito options, jalea, and plenty more Peruvian classics—including a tremendous lomo saltado. This is a hotel restaurant, so expect a slightly touristy crowd. Luckily the food is good enough to distract you from the vacationing businessmen punching away on his laptop at the bar. The Sunday brunch buffet here is also pretty special.

Jarana is technically in the Aventura Mall, but thankfully you don’t have to step foot inside to eat here. It’s the sister restaurant of La Mar, but a lot more casual than its sibling. They make very good versions of classics like chicken causa and chaufa topped with a runny shrimp omelet. But they also have a few good Nikkei dishes like crisp tuna wantacos (basically taco shells made of wantons). The portions are filling, but order the picarones with sweet fig syrup no matter how full you are. The colorful restaurant has a giant abstract mural made out of chains and enough beautiful textile patterns to make you forget there’s a Hot Topic filled with angsty teens just a short walk away.

Ranchito Mi Peru 2 is a true huarique—a homestyle restaurant serving hearty dishes. You're coming here for big plates of proteins (focus on the carnes section of the menu) but they also have some seafood dishes, ceviche, and huge platters of jalea mixta. Weekends are the best days to come, because they often serve special dishes like the excellent Afro-Peruvian dish called chanfainita, a stew of chopped cow lung with diced potatoes in a spicy ají panca sauce. Sunday specials might include another rare classic: pachamanca a la olla, an Andean dish of various meats marinated in herbs, potatoes, corn, and slightly sweet humitas steamed together in a pot.

Pollo a la brasa is El Tambo Grill’s specialty. Glistening chickens are plopped on most of the tables at this casual Kendall Peruvian spot (which also has two other locations in Miami). The chicken—available by the half, quarter, or whole bird—comes with two sides (we like the arroz chaufa and fries) and some huancaina sauce for dipping. While chicken is the main reason to come here, they also make good ceviche mixto if you want to have a varied spread of Peruvian food on the table.

Peruvian sandwiches are a thing of beauty. They may look simple, but the combination of country ham or crispy pork belly on a warm roll with some sarsa criolla can’t be beat. Mr. & Mrs. Bun in West Kendall does great versions while adding their own creative touches and a little Miami flair. This place scraps the traditional pan francés rolls in favor of their own homemade buns. Stick to the classics here, like their butifarra. This place makes the best Peruvian pan de molde bread in Miami, and the housemade mayo that keeps the sandwiches together is so good.

Edgewater’s Sabor a Perú is a great Peruvian spot that usually has a small group of people on the sidewalk waiting for a table. Sign your name on the sheet of paper by the door and join them because the crispy jalea, chaufa de pollo, and cheesy potatoes are worth the wait. This place is an Edgewater classic and a nice affordable option that won't require a reservation. Their huge lomo saltado is also a good choice if you’re very, very hungry.

Salmon & Salmon is a Miami Peruvian classic. A meal here starts with warm rolls and a small bowl of nutty homemade ají sauce. The causa appetizer is plated adorably—the potato and seafood cake is molded in a flower shape and served on a bed of lettuce with squiggles of sweet and creamy salsa golf. However, the chicharrón de pescado appetizer might be the best thing here: a mountain of breaded and fried fish chunks crowned with a tangle of sarsa criolla.

La Tiendita II is a delightful South Beach surprise. It looks like a little bodega, but the market has a small but mighty selection of sandwiches. The options are usually chicken, pork, and tuna—and the chicken and pork are our favorites. While food options are a tad limited here, you'll also find Peruvian pantry items like mote on the shelves and a really delicious suspiro in the fridge. This place is one of the only affordable options in the area, and it's a perfect pre- or post-beach lunch, or a refreshing option if South Beach has depleted your tolerance for mediocre, overpriced food.

While there aren’t many Peruvian bakeries in South Florida, Kendall’s L’Arte Bianco Bakery fills the void. This is perhaps the only place in all of South Florida where you can regularly buy pan francés rolls, the daily bread of Lima that is said to be the model for a perfectly shaped butt: round with a deep crease down the middle. And L'arte puts that bread to good use to by making their own sandwiches, including a really great butifarra.

Piononos is a Key Biscayne Peruvian bakery that makes a pavlova the way Prince ripped a guitar solo: flawlessly. If you come here and don’t leave with at least one slice of that pavlova, you have erred. It’s made from thinly sliced strawberries, dulce de leche, whipped cream, and a walnut meringue that melts in your mouth. So order one, please. But also don’t ignore other good things here, like their titular pionono, a sponge cake rolled with dulce de leche.